


Agate

by LunaChi_KuroShihone



Series: Gemstones [15]
Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Cute, Emotions, F/M, Female Knight, Reminiscing, Talking, mentioned Lancelot - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 11:35:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8247317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaChi_KuroShihone/pseuds/LunaChi_KuroShihone
Summary: A different reality, a different choice, a different fate:
Watch as the Knights of the Round are Summoned, their reactions and thoughts in These fleeting minutes. Short Chapter-Snippets as they look upon the Once and Future King, living not a life of bloodshed and betrayal, but of love and happiness.Watch as Saber meets friends of old, and tears are shed.
Each Chapter is Stand-Alone in a Parallel Universe, and each focuses on one of the Knights. They are roughly a little more than 1000 Words Long each.
Fourteen down; the fair Queen, Steward, the loyal friend, the best Knight, the White Knight, the Traitor Son, the True Hero of the Grail Quest, the Other True Hero of the Grail Quest, The-Father-who-is-not-one-of-the-Knights-but-an-Assassin, the Archer who Doubted, the not quite King, the Third True Hero of the Grail Quest, the Father, the loyal Assassin and the Female Knight!





	

The knight stepped deftly out of the summoning circle, dusting herself off in the process.

Taking a short glance around, her attention landed on the two people to her left, who were excluding an aura of confidence.

Saber blinked once, surprised at the familiar feeling she got from the girl.

Still, there were other times for that train of thought.

Righting herself, she knelt down, speaking the words that would close her fate.

"I am Servant Saber of this Holy Grail War; henceforth I shall be your blade, to be wielded against your enemies." Almost as an after though, she added, "I hope that we'll make a good team, Master."

Saying so, Saber glanced up, smiling slightly.

Her Master smiled back. "You may rise, Saber."

She did as she was told, tilting her head to one side. "May I ask your names, Master-" she turned her gaze to the smiling girl, "-Mistress?"

They seemed to be chipper people, the smiles never leaving their face as the man answered.

"My name is Emiya Shirou, a pleasure meeting you."

Saber turned her attention to the girl again, whose smile grew in its brightness.

"…I am Artoria. Though, we do know each other, do we not, _Beaumains_?"

Saber blinked.

She blinked another time.

Then it finally hit her.

"King Arthur!"

King Arthur grinned. "Very good! I always knew you were the brightest between your siblings."

Saber meanwhile was experiencing something close to a mental breakdown at the sheer incredulity of their sovereign King being a woman and her never noticing.

(In hindsight, many of her actions regarding female knights and their official initiation became much clearer, but it still was quite a shock.)

She calmed down once she noticed the worried Shirou, who looked about as ready to support her if she decided to faint as the King did.

"To think, I never noticed…"

Artoria shook her head, her gaze clouding over. "Not many were privy to my secret -Guinevere was, as was Kay and Ector and Merlin... Lancelot found out later, as did Agravain."

Saber resolutely did not think about a _sword covered in the blood of her brother, a familiar face twisted in pain and guilt._ Instead she focused on the names, and one that was missing.

Or two, really.

"…what about big brother and Sir Bedivere?"

Especially the latter, she though. That man lived for nothing more but the wellbeing of the king. It had left him with a bone-chilling sadness that the King couldn't enjoy her life like a normal human being, and Saber was sure that he himself never noticed.

Artoria shook her head. "As sorry as I am to say, neither of them knew."

Shirou choose that moment to put a comforting hand onto the Kings shoulder — the motion seemed so natural that Saber refrained from commenting on the sheer wonder that King Arthur showed more than two different emotions a day, instead watching the interaction with a small smile of her own.

She didn't know if it was something inherited from whatever magics her mother choose to pass on, or if it was her own innate knowledge, but Saber had always been more attuned to emotions of the subtler kind than either Gawain (he was a bit of an idiot) or Gaheris (who was dismissive and over the top), so she noticed signs like that easier.

It was what made her interested in Lancelot, after she saw him went his anger on the poor volunteers, once.  
The French man who until that point was a mere comrade -and occasional mentor- was filled with such guilt from almost one day to the other that Saber felt herself drawn to him, willing to help. In the end, they became good friends, _but alas..._

In hindsight, she noticed this guilt in the Queen as well as in the King, and to a lesser extent in Sir Kay as well.

Something like that also had drawn her to Lady Lyonesse, but _that_ is another story.

Saber straightened. "I feel honored that you would summon me over the likes of big brother or Lancelot, so I hope that I'll be of use in this War."

Artoria glanced at her again, eyes gleaming. "Of course I would, Gareth. Each member of the Roundtable is equally important."

She scoffed, "I do not understand why you would always fight over the right of strongest member."

At this, Saber had to laugh. It seemed to startle the King, but Shirou apparently had the same strain of thought, because he chuckled.

"Hah…" Saber took a deep breath, "I'm pretty certain that we did it to garner your attention, Milord. Each of us wanted to prove that we were worthy of the Seat at the Roundtable you had given us."

Shirou quipped in with, "They fought over our attention," at which the King blushed faintly.

Saber agreed, but Artoria shook her head. "Nonsense! Even if not all of you were as capable with the sword, you all had unique traits and personalities and abilities that made up for it. There never was a need for the competitions."

Saber shook her head. "That may be so, but it still remains the truth. The nobles wanted us dead more often than not, and the tourneys proved to be a good view for the common folk."

Artoria shook her head again, now more exasperated than anything, but Saber continued in a quieter voice, "It also was vital for us to prove ourselves to the people." Her eyes turned downcast, and her hand grasped the hem of the mantle, squeezing it. "Especially for me and…"

_Warmth_.

Saber looked up again, startled. Artoria had a steady in hand on her shoulder and smiled at her.

There were no words needed, both females knowing the meaning.

_'Do not listen to the words of the ignorant, for they are merely jealous and afraid.'_

It was something the King had told her, once before, and it echoed in the back of Sabers mind. Those words were as applicable to the Woman-King's situation as to herself.

Wishing to lighten the mood, Saber addressed both of her Masters,

"So, I was wondering; will I become an aunt, or am I asking too early?"

The hand on her shoulder tightened, surprised, and Shirou smiled slightly forced, blushing.

"…whatever do you mean?" Artoria asked, an incredible red shade.

Saber motioned to the hand on her shoulder, where a ring gleamed.

"…" With a resigned sigh, the King pulled her hand away, muttering, "no, not yet."

Shirou choose that point to once again become part in the conversation.

"Maybe after the Grail War, then?" He grinned at Artoria, who turned an even darker shade of red, but said nothing.

Saber laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> And now a character who has a total of maybe one line in either FGO or some side materials, I don't remember anymore xD   
> Well, this is my interpretation of Gareth, so I hope ya'll like her!  
> Her brother is next, and he's even more of a blank slate than Gareth, so I'll see what I do with him.  
> (Of course, there could be some obscure material I never noticed, if which is true, I'd like it pointed out to me. Thanks)


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